Study Abroad & Exchange Scholarships

A serious scholarship search should begin
well in advance of the program application deadline. Numerous scholarship, grant, and fellowship
opportunities exist to help students at all levels of study fund international
educational experiences. Funding sources
include universities, private donors, public and private organizations, corporations,
and U.S. and foreign governments.

Scholarships come in "all shapes and
sizes." Awards may be need-based,
merit-based, or both and cover a range of activities such as study abroad and
international exchange, the study of critical languages, internships, research,
or a combination of these. Some awards promote
diversity in study abroad.

Opportunities offering significant funding
are usually highly competitive and may have early deadlines, making it
imperative that students plan far in advance. Even small awards can help students to bridge the gap between federal
financial aid and program costs. Some
students may be lucky enough to land multiple grants. And as with any scholarship program, monies sometimes
go unused due to a lack of qualified applicants.

Finally, not all opportunities are
specifically for study abroad. Scholarships
for study at UAA may be portable. For
example, many UAA and University of Alaska Foundation scholarships can be
applied toward study abroad and international exchange as long as the student
maintains admission at UAA and coordinates his/her program through OIIA.

UAA Study Abroad Affiliate Awards

UAA has three study abroad partners who provide special affiliate scholarship funding for students. They are API, IFSA-Butler, and CIEE. If your chosen program is through one of those three partners, you are eligible to apply for the scholarship funds.

CIEE has a separate application for their scholarship (GAIN) that you fill out through them.API and IFSA-Butler applicants are chosen by OIIA's scholarship selection committee once they have submitted a complete application, found below.

Please be aware that UAA's study
abroad partners also offer many scholarship opportunities for which any student
from any university who applies for their program and who meets the eligibility
criteria may apply. Those opportunities are
administered directly by the partner organizations and are separate from these.

UAA Scholarship Website

The Office of Student Financial Assistance's scholarship page contains scholarship information divided by type. Notice there is a "Study Abroad Scholarship" page on the left-hand menu, but also remember some UAA specific scholarships and other third party scholarships will transfer over to your semester or year abroad. Just check with the organization awarding the funds.

Study Abroad Partner Program Scholarships

Most students go abroad through one of our 10 study abroad partner programs. They have their own scholarships available for you to apply for. Check out the links below to find your study abroad provider. Also be sure to take your own time and search "scholarship" on their websites in case there is anything new. They also will have general scholarship information for you to check out on their websites.

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

If you receive a Pell Grant, you are eligible to apply for the Gilman!

The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are planning to study and intern abroad. The program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go by supporting undergraduates who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints.